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As a parent, you may be wondering why your kids keep getting sick. Is it from all of the germs that they pick up while they’re at school? Or could it simply be from the changes in the weather? Children who constantly get sick may leave you feeling frustrated and looking for an answer that no one has been able to provide you with. In fact, it is actually completely normal for most children to experience several upper respiratory infections and gastrointestinal infections every year. This is even more common in children who attend school or day care. However, if your children experiences many different illnesses each year, these top 5 reasons may help you to understand why immune systems are down.

Keep Your Hands Clean

One of the most common reasons that children keep getting sick is simply from not washing their hands enough. Hand-washing can drastically reduce the chance of picking up both respiratory and gastrointestinal infections so often. Because germs live on all different types of surfaces, it is easy for kids to touch someone that may get them sick without knowing it. Hands should be washed before eating, after playing outside and after using the bathroom. It is important to scrub hands thoroughly for at least 15 to 20 seconds during each wash.

Avoid Face Touching

Another reason why immune systems seem to be down in children recently is because they may forget not to touch their faces which easily allows germs to make their way into the child’s system through their mouth, nose and even eyes. This is typically how cold and flu viruses are transferred.

Say No To Drink Sharing

It is important to teach your children to never share a cup, straw or eating utensil with another child. If one child is sick, their illness can be spread to the surface of anything that their mouth touches. By drinking after another child who is sick, your child may pick up the illness as well. In addition to sharing cups and straws, your child’s immune system may be weakened by simply touching something that another child who is sick has touched. This is why it is extremely important to keep your child away from others while he or she is not feeling well.

Household Mold

Although you may not know it, your home could be growing mold in damp or moist areas. Different types of mold can be extremely dangerous to both you and your children’s health. In homes infested with mold, the very air carries particles that cause all sorts of problems when regularly inhaled. If your child has been getting sick frequently, it is recommended to take advantage of residential mold services in Indianapolis or your preferred area for detection and treatment of mold growth.

Staying Vaccinated

Keeping your children up-to-date on vaccinations will help them to stay immune to different types of illnesses and diseases. This includes a yearly flu vaccination. If your child is not immune to an illness, they are more likely to pick it up from someone else who already has the infection. Vaccinations are the single best way to build up your child’s immune system and to keep them from getting sick.

In addition, always teach your children to cover the mouth when they cough and their nose when they sneeze. Proper hygiene also plays a major part in the spreading of germs and disease.